Woodie shaft options...

[rjattack19]

in my shop class i am making a woodie, but we dont have any hickory...what wood would be best to use?

[Hackstall]

Check this out....http://www.csudh.edu/oliver/chemdata/woods.htm

Hickory has a density of about 51 lbs per cubic foot. So anything near that will be just as strong and weigh the same.

Oak is less dense than hickory. But only slightly. Around 42-45 lbs per cubic foot. That means Oak is almost as strong and a tad lighter.

Birch is a tad less dense than oak, anywhere from 35-45 lbs per cubic foot, so again, it will be lighter but less stong than Oak and Hickory...of course depending on the actually type of Birch.

Ash is around 37-39 lbs per cubic foot. So in general, a bit weaker than Birch, Oak and Hickory

Walnut is around 35 lbs per cubic foot...so the weakest but lightest of them all.

Keep in mind that these are generalizations and could change depending on the specific species of each wood. However, if you want the strength of hickory, Oak is your best bet. It will be slightly lighter as well.

Now when I say weaker, I don't mean really weak. I believe a hickory shaft is about 3-3.5 times stronger than the strongest titanium shaft on the market. So even Walnut will be stronger than the strongest metal shaft. However, it won't be as light which is why metal shafts are king.

[tiplax]

none of the above: get a hickory stick. i have a d-pole from:
www.hickorylax.com
also search, there have been many threads check this out:
http://lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=47986&highlight=hickory+woodie

but your best bet is Hickory

[MaKiMaKi13]

he doesnt have any hickory and is asking for a substitution for it cherry also works but its not as strong as oak, just make sure you dont get any pine or redwood

[Hackstall]

Cherry is okay but only about 1/2 as strong as hickory so you are starting to defeat the purpose of making a woodie. Cherry is a really nice looking wood though.

Yeah don't get pine. Some species of pine are decently strong but pine will dent and markup really easy and fast. Plus it will probably break with a stiff check. Stay away from balsa too. :roll:

Any species of wood that bears fruit is also a good choice of wood since they all have good densities....apple, pear, peach, orange, etc.

[rjattack19]

thanks alot you guys i was really in the dark on this one...and hackstall...how the hell do u know so much about wood? lol

[Hackstall]

One day I was asking the same question as you so I spent a couple of hours on the net reading up on this stuff.

[spenny]

dont forget laminates.
i couldnt tell you what the woods were, but the very first crooked arrows were laminates, and my laminated crooked arrow lasted longer than any alum pole i ever used (and even broke a few shorties)

[rjattack19]

...hmmm so it looks like my choice is between Oak and Ash...

[THE WALL #00]

ash is by far the best. oak will splinter and break birch will snap like nothing and walnut will break for sure.

and IMO ash is better for hickory

ps, if you can get some get a piece of Ipe that is the strongest wood in the world. i havent been able to get my hands on any to try and make a shaft out of it

[spenny]

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/ipe/ipe%20fact%20sheet.htm

the only concern i had about ipe is whether its flexible enough, and apparently its used to make bows for archery so i think that means its ok. :agree:
ipe is redaily available on the 'net, so a proper application of $$$ should have some in your mailbox in no time at all. apparently its really hard on woodworking tools, and the dust may or may not be toxic. also its really heavy. let me know how it turns out, i think it would be cool to have an ipe shaft.

[Hackstall]

Actually, the densest wood in the world is Lignum Vitae...Tree of Life. It is so dense that it barely rots and ntohing can really penetrate it. The found pots and stuff made out of it in Central and South America that are over 800 years old in perfect condition.

[CHSLax66]

has anyone ever made a shaft out of ebony? aparently the durability is incredible and im wondering if it would be worth getting

[tkdlaxer]

yew may or may not also be a choice i dont know much about wood though.

[CHSLax66]

im makin a couple out of lignum vitae, ill be selling one in the FS forum. its saposed to be the hardest wood on the planet

[THE WALL #00]

has anyone ever made a shaft out of ebony? aparently the durability is incredible and im wondering if it would be worth getting

ebony is too brittle for a lacrosse shaft

[mfLax03]

none of the above: get a hickory stick. i have a d-pole from:
www.hickorylax.com
also search, there have been many threads check this out:
http://lacrosseforums.com/showthread.php?t=47986&highlight=hickory+woodie

but your best bet is Hickory

so are those shafts really only like 20$

[CHSLax66]

ebony is too brittle for a lacrosse shaft
on this one website it had like a 12 on a durability scale from 1-10

[the next 'one']

hickory is what most lacrosse shafts are made of. i have played with a hickory shaft for a few months, and its amazing. i have also played with ash and oak shafts, and hickory performs the best. hickory wasn't a choice, so i voted ash, because ash is what baseball bats are made of, and they are pretty strong. ash shafts are really light, and they dent easily, but they dont snap very easily. go with hickory if you can.

[CSlax06]

I voted Ash but...nothing will ever compare to these Australian Greenheart shafts that I make, Im not kidding and Im not bragging.

[THE WALL #00]

on this one website it had like a 12 on a durability scale from 1-10
yeah but when you have your hands on one end of the shaft and put 120lbs of force into a hit it will snap. its like steel carbide. extremely strong if used the right way but you can break it in your hands if you try. same with diamonds very strong when small but also very brittle

[ADKlax24]

oak is really strong, i would go with that

[THE WALL #00]

try some alder. thats what most medieval weapons were made from